


Lift Me Up

by gold_sakura



Series: Fictober Prompts [3]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Acrobatics, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, M/M, my first time trying to describe it so i might have done a horrible job
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-19 04:05:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8188961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gold_sakura/pseuds/gold_sakura
Summary: Jaehwan was lost in the fleeting moments, too busy looking at the sun to see that his parents’ wings were molting as fast as they were aging.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KissShitaMamaGoodbye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KissShitaMamaGoodbye/gifts).



> Hi there! Here with a super early update for Day 3 since I'll be out for most of the day. Also gifting this to a person who requested Keo on my Twitter Thread Drabbles work since I wanted to keep this a separate work and it's well past a drabble lol
> 
> Day 3's prompt is Flight. Hope you enjoy~

Ever since Jaehwan could remember, he had the ability to soar, past the audience below him in the circus tent that was his home. His parents reminded him that the only way he could keep that power was to keep believing, to never lose faith in the craft. There were many times where he fell, his body making impact with the safety net enough times to bruise his skin. Even so, Jaehwan continued to climb the ladder back up to his spot once more, his smile growing wide as he jumped, his wings spreading as soon as his fingertips wrapped around the metal rod that supported him. 

The magic of the show was increased when it was solely a family act, Jaehwan’s father grasping his son’s forearms and launching him upwards to have him float above the center of the stage. There was no fear when he felt gravity tug him back from his reverie, letting himself flip over so that he was falling face first. A small breath would leave him when he felt his mother’s fingers wrap around his ankles, the momentum of her swing enough to bring him into her warm embrace. His favorite part was always the switch, the three of them pushing off with all their might as they twisted their bodies, feeling the rush of barely reaching the other swing. 

Jaehwan was lost in the fleeting moments, too busy looking at the sun to see that his parents’ wings were molting as fast as they were aging. 

The performance was postponed the first time by the ringmaster when Jaehwan’s father had pulled a muscle in his shoulder, the skin around it swelling and darkening. Jaehwan, now the unruly teenager, was certainly concerned about his father's health. Yet, the unfamiliar feeling of longing lingered across his palms, his ankles, his back. He hoped they wouldn't stay grounded for long. 

The next time Jaehwan was forbidden to be in the show was due to an ache across his mother’s calves. It was a pain that had lasted for months, leaving the ringmaster no choice but to bring in a doctor. The boy watched his mother's heart be ripped in two as the results came in- she would be able to recover if she rested long enough…the time being for the rest of her days. In the soft sunlight that showed through the medical tent's opening, Jaehwan witnessed firsthand the devastation of his mother losing her faith. Her hunched figure no longer had the same glow, her wings blowing away with a cursed wind. 

It wasn't long before his father received the same fate, his revelation much crueler than his wife’s. Jaehwan knew he hadn't meant to drop him in their new duo act, knew that barely hitting the edge of the net was not his father’s fault. The older man thought differently, placing all the blame on himself every night and each time he looked at his young adult son. Plagued by insecurity, Jaehwan’s father soon notified the ringmaster of his retirement and his request to have regular appointments with a therapist. Jaehwan reached for him with a hopeful hand, but it was rejected. The man in front of him had ripped his own wings out, his bloody back always facing the sight of his demise. 

Being the only child of the once proud Lee family was a title Jaehwan hadn't wished to take. He didn't care about the scornful or piteous glances that landed on him each time he walked around the circus. He was sick of the ringmaster’s pressure on him to find a new partner, the threat of him and his parents being forcibly kicked out a shadow that enveloped his entire being. All he wanted to be now was a good son, to take care of his parents as much as he could. 

Medical bills were piled on his desk messily, Jaehwan eyeing them from his bed in the dim candlelight. He blinked several times, wondering if his magic went beyond the sky enough to make at least one of the letters disappear.  Unfazed by Jaehwan’s desperate hope, the bills remained, a majority of their huge, red stamps glaring back at the boy menacingly. The Lees had nothing without their craft, and Jaehwan felt it as he stayed up the rest of the night, his wings shrinking at the thought of leaving his paradise behind. 

His parents had urged him to pursue something outside of the circus, to live a more stable life than they had each time their son sat beside their hospital beds. However, they weren't surprised when Jaehwan would laugh bitterly each time, his wings trembling along with him. The boy knew nothing else, wanted nothing else and it was thanks to them that he had grown to love the feeling of flight so dearly. Despite their reservations, they urged the ringmaster to search for someone for their stubborn son, to catch Jaehwan before he fell into a endless abyss. 

Jaehwan was in the middle of training when a mysterious figure walked in, startling him enough to have him stumbling on his landing from his dismounting flip on the balance board. The other man remained silent as he tried to catch his breath. They stared at each other until Jaehwan pouted, combing back his dishevelled hair with a palm full of gym chalk. 

“Um, are you lost?”

The stranger shook his head. 

“Did you need something?”

This time the man nodded, his face as expressionless as before. 

“Well, are you going to tell me what it is?”

“Partner.”

“What -”

Jaehwan remained still as the man put down his back, walking past him to dip his hands in the tub of chalk. He easily jumped onto the balance board, falling with an unique sense of grace until he was in a straight handstand. Gradually lowering one leg at a time, Jaehwan couldn't help but be transfixed by the man’s long limbs, the mesmerizing curves of his shoulders and back. The demonstration remained slow, as if Jaehwan was a student again seeing each twist and turn with such precise control that it appeared to be a whole performance in slow motion. It only sped up as the stranger pushed off with incredible force, launching himself high enough to flip a few times before executing a perfect landing. 

“I'm your new partner, Jung Taekwoon.”

“Jung?” Jaehwan asked in shock. He had heard about Taekwoon’s family through reports of other circuses. They were known for careful planning, gradual ascension, firm grips. It was everything the Lees weren't, a more reserved style that Jaehwan couldn't comprehend. 

“Yes.”

“But… Why?”

“Does it matter?”

“Not really, because I can't accept you.”

“Yes, you can.”

“No, I can't.”

“We haven't even practiced together yet. Let's try it once.”

“Stop trying to tell me what to do.” Jaehwan clenched his fists, storming out of the tent. 

His mind was seeing red, the anger of someone stepping into his space and the denial of the end of his family’s era ending sending him into a contained rage. He didn't want to scream or mindlessly punch anything he passed by. Jaehwan’s body craved to release his emotions the best way he knew how, atop the arena, his wings calling him over. 

Jaehwan stood atop the swing, feeling the air hit his face as he closed his eyes. He had unlatched the other side, ready to reach for it although it couldn't reach as far as he wanted. This was nothing new, this sort of practice becoming more of a regular occurrence ever since his parents retired. However, the unbridled impatience overwhelming his judgement was something that he should have noticed. 

The flustered man leaned his body back and forth, only waiting a few times to push himself off into the air. He let his arms spread out wide, almost feeling the feathery ends of his wings. They were the last bit of comfort before Jaehwan realized that he was not going to catch the other rod, his launch too short for a solo run. Heavy weight was dragging him quickly towards the safety net, his lungs being squeezed from the sudden tension in his body. For the first time in years, Jaehwan flailed at the thought of dropping. 

Even with his arms waving crazily, something had grabbed a hold of him, causing Jaehwan to open his eyes wide. He looked to see that Taekwoon was there, his thighs wrapped around the swing and both of his hands now keeping the other up. 

“Idiot.” Taekwoon murmured, suddenly heaving Jaehwan up past any normal height. The smaller man almost hit the top of the tent, reaching the very last spotlight that casted his shadow to the world down below. A laugh escaped his lips when he saw his wings follow suit, the image of flying Jaehwan could only imagine now being shown to him in clear view. 

By the time Jaehwan returned back to his original position, his stomach was fluttering thanks to all the giggles of relief leaving his body. He turned to look at Taekwoon, surprised to see the other with a smile full of solace, standing as Jaehwan was. He grabbed the ropes beside him and swung calmly as if the other wasn't about to injure himself. 

“Are we partners now?”

Jaehwan grinned widely. “Yes!”

  
He prepared more for the second jump, now seeing Taekwoon’s wings as they passed each other during the switch. The stunt was still the same, but Jaehwan had a feeling that the thrills would be on a whole new level with Taekwoon at his side.

**Author's Note:**

> At this point, I'll refrain from mentioning comments and kudos since it might be getting repetitive hehe. Also, for those who don't know, I hold a poll for each day's prompt. If you're interested, then feel to check out my twitter profile @goldenvixx. See you guys soon hopefully~


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